End-to-end encrypted, like WhatsApp.
Your timeline is encrypted on your own device. Only your devices have the key. Half5's server only stores and sends data it can't read.
The key stays with you.
- 1 The key is created on your device
Your first device creates a 256-bit key and stores it in the system's secure storage, like the iPhone keychain. That key never leaves your device.
- 2 Everything is encrypted before it leaves
Programs, windows, websites, commits, and locations are encrypted on your device with AES-256-GCM. The server only receives unreadable blocks and passes them on to your other devices.
- 3 Link a new device with a code
Just like WhatsApp on your computer, you link a new device from one you already use, with a 6-digit code. The code works once, for five minutes. The server never sees the code or the key.
- 4 Only approved devices receive anything
The server doesn't send anything to a device you haven't linked, not even encrypted blocks. You can view and remove your devices in the app.
Your key is also stored in your own iCloud Keychain or Google backup, so a new phone can use it right away. You can also write it down as 24 words. Half5 doesn't have a copy and can't recover it for you.
What's end-to-end and what's not.
Your timeline is yours and is end-to-end encrypted. Anything you save as an hour, drive, or invoice needs to be approved and billed by your team. So that data is readable on our server, like any online accounting software: encrypted in transit and at rest.
End-to-end encrypted: only you
- Programs, windows, and websites
- Files and git commits
- AI sessions in Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor
- Your location and visits
- Phone calls (number, time, and duration)
Server data: you and your team
- Hours, leave, and drives you log
- Clients, projects and rates
- Invoices and accounting integrations
- Your account, team, and settings
Where your data is stored.
Everything is stored in the EU. Any additional processing by other services is listed per service on the subprocessor list.
- Amsterdam Server and database at DigitalOcean. Encrypted at rest.
- Frankfurt Files and email stored with AWS. Encrypted at rest.
- Backups stored in the EU Every six hours, encrypted before leaving the server, kept unchangeable for 30 days at Cloudflare. The server itself can't open them.
- Encrypted in transit All connections use HTTPS (TLS 1.2 or newer).
Who can see what.
| Who | Timeline | Hours and drives | Invoices |
|---|---|---|---|
| You | Yes | Your own | As admin |
| Your manager | No | Department’s | No |
| Admin | No | Entire organization | Yes |
| Half5 | No | Yes, on our server | Yes, on our server |
AI only sees what you send.
- Detection happens on your device
Half5 figures out which client and project your work belongs to, right on your own computer or phone.
- Create description: only when you tap
When you hit the button, your device sends that hour's window titles and commits to Google Gemini (or OpenAI as backup) to generate a description. That's the only time timeline content leaves your devices.
- The help assistant doesn't access your timeline
The in-app assistant (Claude by Anthropic) can't access your timeline. An admin can turn it off.
Your account, securely locked.
- No passwords
You sign in with a code by email, with Apple, or with Google. There's no password to leak.
- Sign out other devices
Lost or sold a device? Sign out all other devices and connected AI agents at once in the app.
- AI agents with OAuth
An agent like Claude or ChatGPT gets its own access via OAuth, limited to your hours. You can revoke that access anytime.
Found a security issue?
Email it to [email protected] with 'security' in the subject. Your report goes straight to a real person. Please give us time to fix it before you make it public.